PLAYFULNESS + CURIOSITY Page 12 of 20

Eye candy

Posted on 2012-05-04 at 9:00 am.

The Japan Hobby Show was crazy. Literally thousands of craft lovers in one place, oohing and ahhing over buttons and ribbons, fawning over fabric, patiently queueing up for workshops.

And I was one of them!

I went to get some inspiration for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design, and snapped some gorgeous eye candy – the images above and below are from my favourite stand from Scandinavian design company Tilda.

Now if this doesn’t make you want to stitch up an apron or cushion I don’t know what will!

I took a little workshop from Japanese collage artist and illustrator Yoko Inoue. Her work is really beautiful – she uses photos she takes herself, shrinks them down on a colour photocopier, then works them into gorgeous collages in muted colours.

In less than an hour there wasn’t much time to get into it, but it was fun to have a play around with all the free supplies! I used a couple of postcards of Lily Greenwood’s art in mine.

For the latest information about the Japan Hobby Show click HERE.

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I’m on a big adventure in Japan right now. If you fancy an adventure of your own why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? Shake things up, expand your comfort zone, nurture your playful spirit and feed your creative soul. Identify your passion and make it a greater part of your every day life! Find out more and register here. But hurry, class starts soon!

Our new neighbourhood

Posted on 2012-04-30 at 1:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

So here we are in Kyoto. Week 3 in our new home. I like to say it is ‘bijou’. I tend not to add that our entire apartment is about the same size as our kitchen at home… So it is small but we are loving it. We have a bakery next door, a tatami mat weaver down the road, a sweet pottery shop a couple of streets away and the famous Nishijin textile district just a stone’s throw away. I have so much to share from our first weeks here but I thought I would begin with a little tour of our new neighbourhood…

Won’t you pop round for some green tea?

Now that’s what I call a football stadium

Posted on 2012-04-28 at 3:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Home of Yamagata Montedio J2 team

I have been in a lot of football (soccer) stadiums in my time – from Argentina to England, Germany to Japan, including one for the FIFA World Cup Final. But I think thisis my favourite one – for the incredible mountain view, for the draft beer and fried noodles and for the Japanese fans who politely cheer the opposition team’s fans for honourably bothering to make the trip to see their team play away.

To round off our trip to Yamagata we went to watch my old team Montedio play (although I must admit I spent much of the match staring at the mountains in the distance…)

Learning to cook

Posted on 2012-04-25 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

One of the best things to do on a cold day in the countryside is to cook up a feast with deliciously fresh mountain vegetables.

Kyoko gave me a couple of quick cooking lessons on making tempura and shabu shabu – yum…

Looking forward to learning how to cook lots of new things while here in Japan!

What is your favourite Japanese food?

Surface pattern designer highlight: Sian Elin

Posted on 2012-04-18 at 6:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

As the second designer in this series highlighting talent from The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design e-course, I am excited to introduce you to Sian Elin. Sian is a fun, creative surface pattern designer and illustrator, who has “spent a lifetime seeing the world through pattern and colour; and observing how shape and form interact.’

There is a simple, naive beauty to her work that is so charming, and she clearly knows what she’s doing with a pen! To find out more about the designer or to see more work, check out her website.

We are pleased to announce that we are running a second series of the e-course! Join us and dive into the exciting world of surface pattern design! Find out more and register here.

Pattern course student selected for new children’s design book!

Posted on 2012-04-16 at 1:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

We are thrilled to announce that one of our talented e-course students has been selected for the highly anticipated ‘Print & Pattern Kids’ book. A huge congratulations goes to Susan Lloyd!

We think Susan’s work is beautiful, contemporary & fresh. Rachael and I are like proud mamas!

Susan says, “I studied printed Textile Design at Loughborough University. After graduation I lived and worked in New York designing prints for the fashion, home and stationery markets, selling designs internationally.”

“I have exhibited at various trade fairs including Surtex, Printsource and Indigo.”

“I find inspiration in everything from fashion to nature to mid century design, vintage textiles and contemporary Illustration. I love to hand draw all the elements for my designs first before enhancing them within Photoshop and Illustrator.”

“I have a wishlist of companies I would love to collaborate with. I am currently building new ranges for my portfolio and building a brand new website for showcasing my designs”.

Susan now designs prints under the studio name ‘The Print Tree’, if you would like to get in touch with Susan you can email her at: [email protected]. You can also follow Susan on twitter @theprinttree.

Images courtesy of ‘The Print Tree’ – a varied selection from Susan’s portfolio.

Pattern course student selected for new children's design book! summer bloom blog

Pattern course student selected for new children's design book! the print tree banner blog

If you to know more about The Art & Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course) you can view the website here.

Best sign ever?

Posted on 2012-04-14 at 8:40 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Sign found outside a tiny gallery in Gion

Now here is someone doing what he loves (and not doing what he doesn’t love when he doesn’t want to do!)

Love the essence of this philosophy…

Old haunts, new memories

Posted on 2012-04-06 at 1:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

When you have lived somewhere for a while, at an impressionable time in your life, it always holds special memories. Coming back to see my old apartment in Shinjuku was both strange and comforting. I lived there for nearly three years over a decade ago. The nearby shrine hadn’t changed, and the corner house still had a tiny flourishing roof garden, but the new houses that had popped up here and there left me temporarily disoriented. That’s where I used to do my laundry… that’s where I used to go for delicious grilled fish and miso soup… that was the massage place open until midnight which brought welcome relief after long days in the Japanese office…

These past few days in Tokyo have felt important for reflecting on good times past, but preparing the way for new memories to be made. I hope sharing each special place and its stories with my man has helped him see a little of the country that captured my imagination many years ago, but also paved the way for all the adventures to come…

Have you visited any old haunts recently?

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If you fancy your own adventure, why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? This very special online adventure is designed to help you identify your passion and make it a greater part of your everyday life. Class starts on May 14. Find out more and register here.